In the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, the Boekenweek (; English: Book Week) is an annual "week" of ten days dedicated to

Dutch literature Dutch-language literature () comprises all writings of literary merit written through the ages in the Dutch language, a language which currently has around 23 million native speakers. Dutch-language literature is the product of the Netherlands, ...

. It has been held in March annually since 1932. Each Boekenweek has a theme. The beginning of the Boekenweek is marked by the ''Boekenbal'' (''book ball''), a gathering that is attended by writers and publishers. Events are held across the country during the Boekenweek, such as

book signing Book signing is the affixing of a signature to the title page or flyleaf of a book by its author. Book signings are events, usually at a bookstore or library, where an author sits and signs books for a period. Book signing Book signing is popu ...

sessions,

literary festival A literary festival, also known as a book festival or writers' festival, is a regular gathering of writers and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city. A literary festival usually features a variety of presentations and readings ...

s and

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...

Publications

Each year a well-known writer, usually Dutch or Flemish, is asked to write a book, usually a novella, called the ''Boekenweekgeschenk'' (''book week gift''), which is to be given away during the festival. Book shops give a copy of the Boekenweekgeschenk when a customer buys a book in the

Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language and is the List of languages by total number of speak ...

; libraries also give copies of these books when a new person becomes a member. The Boekenweekgeschenk is published by the

Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek The Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek (CPNB, "Collective Promotion for the Dutch Book") is a Dutch organization that includes representatives of bookstores and publishers, whose goal is to promote Dutch literature. History and activ ...

(''CPNB'', ''Collective Promotion for the Dutch Book''). Some authors invited to write for this event have included

Maarten 't Hart Maarten 't Hart (born 25 November 1944 in Maassluis) is a Dutch writer. Trained as a biologist in zoology and ethology at the Leiden University, he taught that subject before becoming a full-time writer in the 1980s, having made his debut as a ...

(1984), Hugo Claus (1989), Cees Nooteboom, and

Harry Mulisch Harry Kurt Victor Mulisch (; 29 July 192730 October 2010) was a Dutch writer. He wrote more than 80 novels, plays, essays, poems, and philosophical reflections. Mulisch's works have been translated into 38 languages so far. Along with Willem Fre ...

(2000).Boekenweekuitgaven en thema's vanaf 1930
, Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek In 2001, the Boekenweekgeschenk was originally written in English by

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie ( ; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern wor ...

and later translated into Dutch. In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, the Boekenweekgeschenk was sometimes published anonymously, with a list of possible authors inside the book.Geschiedenis van de Boekenweek
Historiek, 10 March 2010 As a competition, readers could submit their guess by postcard as to who the author was. Since 2002, the Boekenweekgeschenk can be used as a ticket to travel for free by train with the

Nederlandse Spoorwegen (, , NS ) is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The rail infrastructure is maintained by network manager ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003. Freight operato ...

on the final Sunday of the Boekenweek. Since 1987, an essay, the ''Boekenweekessay,'' has been written in addition to the Boekenweekgeschenk. The Boekenweekessay can be purchased in book shops. Some authors include Jan Wolkers (1995),

Gerrit Komrij Gerrit Jan Komrij (30 March 1944 – 5 July 2012) was a Dutch poet, novelist, translator, critic, polemic journalist and playwright. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s, writing poetry that sharply contrasted with the free form poetry, free- ...

(1997) and Adriaan van Dis (2004). The

curriculum vitae In English, a curriculum vitae (,

of the author of the Boekenweekgeschenk – called the ''Boekenweek-cv'' – is distributed by

public libraries ''Public Libraries'' is the official publication of the Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). It is devoted exclusively to public libraries. The print edition is published six times a year and i ...

among their members.

History

On 15 November 1930, the ''Dag van het Boek'' (''Day of the Book'') was held to protect books from new media, such as radio and cinema.Onderzoek Het boek in Nederland 2005
, Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek, 14 November 2005, press release The book ''De uitgever en zijn bedrijf'' by Johan Tersteeg was published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ''Nederlandsche Uitgeversbond''. Publishers, booksellers and others interested in supporting books organized a longer event to promote Dutch literature. In 1932, the first Boekenweek was held and the first Boekenweekgeschenk was published. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Boekenweek was not held in the years 1942 till 1945. In 1941, a Boekenweekgeschenk was published but it was withdrawn from the stores due to German occupation of the country. Despite competition from other media, including new technology since 1932, the Boekenweekgeschenk has grown in popularity over the years. In 2010, during the 75th Boekenweek, 958,000 copies of the Boekenweekgeschenk were produced.

Boekenbal

First held in 1947, the Boekenbal (''book ball'') is an invitation-only event, with the Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek (CPNB) deciding the guest list. It is traditionally held in the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam. The invitation policy of CPNB has sparked some controversy, and another group has organized the independent event called the ''Bal der Geweigerden'' (''Ball of the Refused'').Bal der geweigerden voor álle schrijvers

de Volkskrant ''De Volkskrant'' (; ), stylized as de Volkskrant, is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium- ...

It was first held in 2002 in Paradiso, which is nearby the location of the official Boekenbal, and it can be attended by anyone.

Kinderboekenweek

Since 1955, a book week for children has been held, called the ''Kinderboekenweek''. It is held in October and it also lasts ten days. It opens with a social gathering, called the ''Kinderboekenbal''. Similar to the Boekenweek, a ''Kinderboekenweekgeschenk'' is written and published to be given away by book shops to clients purchasing literature for children. Some of the authors include Paul Biegel (1977), Annie M.G. Schmidt (1990) and Thea Beckman (1991). Since 1986, a

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

is published for

toddler A toddler is a child approximately 1 to 3 years old, though definitions vary. The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. The word is derived from "toddle", which means to walk unsteadily, as children at thi ...

List of publications

References

External links

Boekenweek website

Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek
{{in lang, nl Dutch literature Dutch words and phrases Festivals in the Netherlands Literary festivals in the Netherlands March Recurring events established in 1932 Festivals established in 1932 Annual events in the Netherlands 1932 establishments in the Netherlands Spring (season) in the Netherlands